Va. officials issue warning about river

By
Washington Post editors

Stafford County and City of Fredericksburg officials are warning people to take precautions if they plan to visit the Rappahannock River this summer.

Strong currents along the river, debris and slippery rocks have all caused injuries and deaths over the years. Already this summer several people have been caught in dangerous situations. At Old Mill Park in Fredericksburg, officials said people have tried to walk across the river to Stafford. Some have lost their balance, fallen into the river, and had to be rescued by others in the river or local first responders.

Since 1972, 85 people have drowned in the Rappahannock. The most recent incident occurred in June 2008, Stafford officials said.

It's amazing when you consider that in a four year period of time, literally 100s of thousands of armed men, dressed in woolen clothes managed to cross and recross that river, upstream from Fredericksburg, with only a rarely reported drowning. Contrast that to today when the bodies of shorts and bathing suit clad weekend warriors are regularly fished from a river no more dangerous today than 150 years ago.